Federal Opposition spokesperson for Indigenous affairs Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has launched a scathing attack on the government, arguing it is choosing to prioritise popularity over meaningful action on Mparntwe/Alice Springs.
The NT senator's comments come after a series of violent incidents in the town last month - including the fracture of a two month-old baby girl's skull during an alleged violent home invasion - led to the Territory government making a series of policy requests to the federal government.
These include welfare payments to be made on current takeaway alcohol-free days only; reintroduce compulsory work or training programs with fortnightly reporting obligations for welfare recipients; and "accept the Northern Territory Government's referral to the Federal Government for parents who neglect their children, enabling additional income management".
Furthermore, there was a request for royalty distributions to be made in communities, not in Mparntwe/Alice Springs.
Senator Price, who is also a former councillor and deputy mayor of the town, said the new CLP government in the NT - a party she represents federally - had enacted reforms it believed would help the issues in the town, but were being hindered by the federal government.
Accusing the former NT Labor government of being "too weak to act," she said the CLP had leadership which was "willing to take action in the Territory".
She argued there was "finally" a government in the Territory with the "courage of conviction to make the necessary changes," but the federal Labor government was failing to do the same.
The CLP has enacted several policies which have been widely criticised by human rights, Indigenous and legal groups, including lowering the age of criminal responsibility to 10—a move likely to see an increase in the number of children incarcerated in a jurisdiction where already one percent of the population is behind bars.
Nevertheless, a rethink on how youth crime is tackled has been welcomed by some across the aisle, including Labor and Lingiari MP Marion Scrymgour.
"The Albanese government is once again choosing to prioritise its popularity at the expense of getting on board with meaningful improvement," Senator Price said.
Citing the upcoming federal election, which many analysts have said will result in a minority government, the NT Senator added: "Anthony Albanese knows he is already in trouble ahead of the 2025 election, and this situation will expose the truth about whether he is in fact interested in the wellbeing and prosperity of all Australians, wherever they may live, or only those who vote for him."
Last month, federal Minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, seemed to pour cold water on many of the ideas, noting the "complexities" in the proposal to quarantine welfare payments could possibly breach the Racial Discrimination Act.
"We have to have a look at all of these things. One of the other things is that Centrelink goes right across the country. So, if you impact one certain payment, you've got to be careful of how you impact others. So, this will be an ongoing conversation," Senator McCarthy said at the time.
Even without the violence, Senator Price said she had been calling for reform on issues like welfare payments and royalty distributions for "a long time".
"The Northern Territory government should be backed up by its federal counterparts in these matters; they shouldn't have to approach entities such as land councils directly for reform to come about," Senator Price said.
